Fatal crash in a rental car linked to Takata air bag recall

Fatal crash in a rental car linked to Takata air bag recall

Posted By
Eliot Reiner

At this point, it has become clear to many Americans that the regulation
of automobile safety in the United States is abysmal. Specifically, injurious
and fatal car accidents related to manufacturing and design defects continue
to occur and seem to be getting worse.

Agencies like the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have a
very difficult time even investigating allegations of vehicle defects,
in part, because automakers try to cover up known problems rather than
fixing them. If and when a recall is finally issued (after a high number
of injuries and fatalities), there are few legal remedies to ensure that
all car owners are notified and that defective vehicles get fixed. A recent
and tragic case from here in California is an example.

In the wake of the
Takata air bag recall, which has now grown to include 10 car companies in the U.S. and 34 million
vehicles, it has been difficult to determine just how many injuries and
deaths could be attributed to the dangerous air bags. Earlier this month,
it was announced that an eighth death has been linked to the faulty air
bags. The victim was a 26-year-old woman who was killed in a crash last
September.

What makes this death especially unsettling is the fact that the victim
was driving a rental car - a 2001 Honda Civic. The San Diego-based rental
car company had been informed of a recall in 2013 but never bothered to
have it fixed. Sadly, the company's actions were perfectly legal.
Rental companies and used car dealers are not required to have vehicles
repaired or even to inform customers that the vehicles were included in a recall.

The Takata air bag recall is the largest auto safety recall in U.S. history.
Just before the Takata scandal, General Motors endured public and congressional
scrutiny about its cover-up of defective ignition switches. A few years
before that, Toyota faced significant fines and litigation over its delayed
action in the "sudden unintended acceleration" scandal. Those
who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Until or unless
we demand more accountability from automakers, these recall scandals will
continue and will only get worse.